Make Your Own Thin Pizza Crust {plus, Taco Pizza!}

People who know me well are probably wondering why I’m posting about thin pizza crust.

As a general rule, I don’t like thin pizza crust.

See, I’m a carb-o-holic, especially when it comes to bread. The more, the thicker, the better; that’s my motto.

But I decided to be all Cinco de Mayo-ish and make taco pizza. I have a feeling that this might not be authentic Mexican cuisine, but whatever. It has salsa, so it’s kinda-sorta Mexican, right?

Work with me here.

And, since I was making taco pizza, I thought a thin-crust would be most taco shell-like. And I was right. This pizza was crazy good.

I know the recipe looks like there is a ton of work involved, but most of this is just rising (and waiting!) time. Plus, homemade pizza crust is totally worth the wait, for reals.

1. Combine your flours, yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the motor running and using the dough hook attachment, add the water and oil in a steady stream. Mix until the dough comes together in a rough mass. If needed, add a bit more water until the dough forms into a bowl. Let rest for 5-10 minutes, then mix again for 30 seconds. Your dough should be tacky to the touch, but not sticky. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and form into a smooth ball. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover with plastic wrap.

2. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, punch it down, and shape into a smooth cylinder.

4. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, dusting with flour if your dough becomes sticky. Cover both balls of dough with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Using your palms and fingers, push, pat and press the dough outward from the center, leaving the edge slightly thicker. Cover with a towel again, and let rest for 15 minutes. Then, brush the edges of the entire round with olive oil. If desired, sprinkle on some kosher salt, oregano, Italian seasoning, or whatever spices float your boat.

Top your pizza, and bake on a pre-heated pizza stone at 450 for 12-15 minutes.

For our taco pizza, I used about 1/2 cup of salsa, 3/4 pound seasoned ground beef, sliced olives and jalepenos, and shredded monterrey jack cheese. After baking, I added shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes. My guys ate it up! I had one small piece, and the rest they devoured.***

This recipe makes two balls of dough. If you need only one ball of dough, place the second ball in a gallon sized ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to use, thaw the frozen dough for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature.

Ingredients

3½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup whole-wheat flour

1 package (2½ teaspoons) quick-rise yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1¼ cups warm water (110 degrees--I usually warm mine for about 20-25 seconds in the microwave), plus extra as needed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

In the bowl of an electric mixer (you can also use a food processor), combine the flours, yeast, sugar, and salt. With the motor running and using the dough hook attachment, add the water and oil in a steady stream.

Mix until the dough comes together in a rough mass. If needed, add a bit more water until the dough forms into a bowl. Let rest for 5-10 minutes, then mix again for 30 seconds. Your dough should be tacky to the touch, but not sticky.

Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and form into a smooth ball. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, punch it down, and shape into a smooth cylinder. Divide the dough into two equal pieces.

Shape each piece into a smooth ball, dusting with flour if your dough becomes sticky. Cover both balls of dough with a kitchen towl and let rest for 10 minutes.

Using your palms and fingers, push, pat and press the dough outward from the center, leaving the edge slightly thicker.

Cover with a towel again, and let rest for 15 minutes.

Brush the edges of the entire round with olive oil. If desired, sprinkle on some kosher salt, oregano, Italian seasoning, or whatever spices float your boat.

Top your pizza, and bake on a pre-heated pizza stone at 450 for 12-15 minutes.

3.3.3077

***So sorry about the horrible, over-exposed photos. The Tall Boy had just come inside from working (hard!) in the yard, and was too hungry to wait for me to set up my photo-staging area. These pictures were on the fly, but trust me, the pizza was so, so good.

I’m a thick crust fiend but I will excuse you just this once(!!) because I agree, a taco pizza should be thin crust alll the way. And this looks SO good. Bet it is even better loaded with that salsa you made and with a marg on the side YUM.Hayley recently posted..Nutter Butters & Creme Ice Cream